On the eve of President Donald Trump’s highly orchestrated celebrations of his 80th birthday, hundreds of protesters gathered on San Francisco’s Ocean Beach with a message for the nation’s leader Saturday.
The protesters formed a human banner spelling out “EPSTEIN” in the outline of a file folder marked “Trump,” a call for the release of redacted files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that reference the president. Outside the file folder, more protesters held a U.S. flag next to letters spelling “FILES TO TRIALS.”
While large volumes of material have been released in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Epstein Library, officials say they are withholding many documents containing allegations against Trump to protect the privacy of accusers and safeguard sensitive information.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing and downplayed his relationship with Epstein, who authorities say died in his jail cell in New York in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
Saturday’s Ocean Beach protest served to counteract Trump’s birthday bash in Washington on Sunday, which coincides with Flag Day. Trump plans mixed martial arts fights in a giant octagon cage on the South Lawn of the White House to mark the occasion.
To continue the celebration, the White House also plans a June 24 “rally to end all rallies” with performances by country singer Lee Greenwood and classical crossover performer Christopher Macchio to replace a planned concert series, as well as a large fireworks display tied to the broader America 250 festivities marking the nation’s anniversary in July.
The San Francisco protest served as a prelude to Sunday’s nationwide No Kings gatherings, which were being decentralized into smaller community-building events rather than the large public protests of recent months. No major events were planned in the Bay Area, but cafes and community centers were holding watch parties for the livestreamed “Concert for the First Amendment” in New York featuring Patti Smith, Bette Midler, Rufus Wainwright and other performers and speakers.
Saturday’s human banner on Ocean Beach, the brainchild of travel writer Brad Newsham and architectural designer Travis Van Brasch, marked a return to the ambitious, artistic form of activism after a hiatus of several months.
